LHD Wasp Class

The LHD (WASP Class) is a U.S. Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ship, the tenth to be named after the USS Wasp, and the lead ship of her class. She was built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding division of Litton in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Navy-Marine Corps team's newest amphibious warship has as its primary mission the support of a Marine Landing Force. USS Wasp and her sister ships are the first specifically designed to accommodate new Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) for fast troop movement over the beach and Harrier II (AV-8B) Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) jets which provide close air support for the assault force. Wasp, which is 257 m long with a beam of 32 m, also accommodates the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, conventional landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.